


in the shallow

by okamiwind



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Social Anxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:13:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22790047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/okamiwind/pseuds/okamiwind
Summary: junmyeon's not good with people
Relationships: Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Oh Sehun
Comments: 73
Kudos: 292





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [zvirk77](https://archiveofourown.org/users/zvirk77/gifts).



Junmyeon has worked in the Special Collections department for the past decade, and before that, he worked at another library six counties over for a decade. He has worked at every library in the state of California, every library in the surrounding four states over the course of the past 150 years, and he enjoys his work. He does archival work for the University and manages the records which means, on good days, he doesn’t have to go outside during the daytime and more importantly, he doesn’t have to speak to many humans. 

“You should come out with the librarians,” a coworker suggests, idly stirring at her coffee as she watches Junmyeon fix his own. “We never get to see you outside of work.” 

“Yeah,” Junmyeon shrugs, smiling uncomfortably, “I’m not really a big people person.” 

It isn’t a lie, he tells himself. He’s not a person at all. He is a son of the Circle of Red Light, he is immortal, and that is the reason that he is so bad at interacting with humans. 

“Maybe someday,” the librarian says, and she shrugs her shoulder happily. “You never know!”

Junmyeon knows. He’s lived in the world for so long that he’s forgotten the feeling of humanity, so detached from it that it seems completely foreign to him. All he knows is his coven, and that’s all he wants to know.  
  


⛧

His feelings on the matter change suddenly, as these things are wont to do. One afternoon in the middle of winter, the cold grey darkness leaking in from the windows, he is working on digitizing a selection of documents. It is calming work, second nature to him now, and he enjoys the warmth from the scanning bed. It reminds him a little of drinking. He sighs out, resting his gloved hands on the top as he works, gingerly working with the documents so as to best preserve them.

Then, the most delicious scent floods him. Strawberries… no, something sweeter. Sugar and… sugar and cherries. He closes his eyes, turns to meet it, thinking maybe someone brought pastries in. 

Standing there is the most beautiful man Junmyeon’s ever laid eyes on. He is tall and lithe, a strong chest evident even through his bulky sweater, warm eyes obvious even behind his wire-rimmed glasses. His hair is _crazy_ , sticking up in all different directions like he’s been running his hands through it, and his eyes are rimmed in red. 

Junmyeon can smell so much on him, cigarettes and black coffee and sleepless nights, but it isn’t enough to mask his blood. Sugar. Cherries. Indelible sweetness. 

“S-Sorry, I’m… I know I’m not supposed to be back here, but I talked to Marie up front and she said that I could use this scanner back here?” he says. 

“I’m using the scanner at the moment,” Junmyeon says, and he turns back to his work, frowning at how mean he sounds. “Besides, this is strictly an archive faculty scanner. You can use the ones in the east wing.” 

“R-Right, but all the ones in the east wing are either broken or being used,” the man says. 

“Have you tried fixing the broken ones?” 

“I don’t know how to fix a scanner,” the man says. 

“It’s not hard,” Junmyeon answers. 

The man smiles, and Junmyeon is momentarily struck by how beautiful he is as another wave of his scent pours out. 

“I don’t think I’ll master that anytime soon,” he says. “Besides, if it’s so easy, why don’t you fix it?” 

“That isn’t part of my job description,” Junmyeon answers. “I’m not paid to fix scanners for students.”

The man makes a noise, and it makes Junmyeon turn, look back over his shoulder. He is smiling at Junmyeon, and Junmyeon is extremely confused. 

“Sorry,” he says. “I didn’t even… I’m Sehun. And I’m not _just _a student. I’m a teaching assistant.”__

__“Oh. Right, well,” Junmyeon says, and he turns back to his scanner, fiddling his fingers. “It will be a few minutes. If you’re in a rush, you could go over to the social science computing facility.”_ _

__“That’s okay,” Sehun says, and when Junmyeon checks on him again, he is sitting at the little table, crossing his legs, hands over his knee. “I have time.”_ _

__Junmyeon turns back to his scanner once more, puzzled by the draw that he feels towards Sehun. He is good at ignoring his more primal urges, and he finds easy sustenance on blood banks._ _

___Sehun’s_ blood, though… it is singing to him. _ _

__“So you’re a librarian?” Sehun asks. “That’s cool.”_ _

__“I’m not a librarian,” Junmyeon says. “I’m an archivist.”_ _

__“Right, right,” Sehun says. “Still, that’s cool. What are you scanning?”_ _

__“Documents.”_ _

__“What kind of documents?”_ _

__“T-They’re historical documents,” Junmyeon answers._ _

__“Is it a secret or something?” Sehun asks._ _

__“No,” Junmyeon says._ _

__“Are you just, like, a little weird?” Sehun asks, and Junmyeon looks back, mildly horrified to see that Sehun is smiling at him. “Too little sun in here?” Junmyeon turns back to his scanner. “Ah, that’s okay. I like ‘em weird.”_ _

__“It’s… It’s a fragment collection. Medieval manuscripts. This is… this is a leaf from a liturgical book. Hosea 6:2-6:6 and Zephaniah 3:8-3:13,” Junmyeon says, shocked to hear himself give so much information without further prodding. “You really shouldn’t be back here when I’m working.”_ _

__“I’m telling you, Marie said it was okay,” Sehun says. “So, is that what you do in a day? Scan documents?”_ _

__“A-And manage the records,” Junmyeon says. He narrows his eyes. “Don’t you have a class to teach?”_ _

__Sehun checks his phone. “Not for another half hour.”_ _

__“Plenty of time to get to the Lane reading room,” Junmyeon says._ _

__“But now I’ve found something so interesting,” Sehun says. “Something worth sticking around for.”_ _

__The words stick in Junmyeon’s heart like a stake, and he blinks, the sound deafening to his ears. He swallows thickly just as the machine beeps, letting him know his work is complete._ _

__Junmyeon hurriedly moves the manuscripts out of the scanning bed, stuffing everything under his arm, moving past Sehun. “Clean up when you’re finished.”_ _

__Even once he is back in his office, sorting through more of his records for access, he can’t seem to get the smell of sugar-dipped cherries out of his nose, out of his mind.  
  
_ _

⛧

He gets back home to the coven, and he kicks off his shoes, looking for a little sympathy for his challenging day.

Junmyeon doesn’t know what he was thinking.

“You can’t keep blaming your antisocial, practically agoraphobic behavior on your vampiric nature,” Baekhyun says, absently painting his nails with a clear coat. “You have plenty of brethren here who are perfectly adept at socializing.” 

“I guess I missed that class,” Junmyeon says, collapsing into the plush couch cushions. 

They live in Palo Alto, a sprawling penthouse condo that Baekhyun and Jongdae gagged over. The hardwood floors are exotic, dark tigerwood, Brazilian walnut, and cypress. The kitchen and the bathrooms are natural stone, slate-grey and smooth. The fixtures are brand new, top of the line, and each room was meticulously handled and designed, bleeding luxury from every pore. Junmyeon sits, stares out the window, pitch black, and sighs wistfully. 

“What have we told you about the sighing?” Jongdae says, voice echoing from the other room. 

“Not to do it,” Junmyeon says. 

“Hard day in the stacks?” Baekhyun asks, raising a brow. 

“No, I just… I don’t know,” Junmyeon says. “I met someone… strange.” 

“You _met_ someone?” Jongdae screeches. “Chanyeol, he met someone.” 

A split second later, Chanyeol is vaulting over the couch, flopping next to Junmyeon on the couch. “You _met someone_?” 

“Not like that,” Junmyeon says. “I didn’t _meet_ him, I just _met_ him.” 

“A him,” Jongdae says excitedly, and he waltzes in from the kitchen, a bag of blood in his hand like a juice box. “A _him_!” 

“Tell us everything,” Baekhyun says, capping the nail polish before gesturing with it, “or we’ll decapitate you.” 

“It’s really nothing.” 

“When he threatens decapitation, he _means_ it,” Jongdae says. “Don’t fucking start with us. We’ll get Jongin, Minseok, and Yixing over in a fucking heartbeat, and you know that we will. I have no problem killing a brother over something petty, and you know that about me.” 

“He just needed to use a scanner,” Junmyeon says. “It was nothing.” 

“Stanford has approximately eight million scanners, and he needed to use yours,” Chanyeol says. “Are you sure _use your scanner_ isn’t code for _fuck your tight little ass_?” 

“This is exhausting,” Junmyeon says. “I’m going to bed.” 

“You don’t need to sleep,” Jongdae says. 

“Yeah, we’re vampires,” Chanyeol smiles. 

“Well, regardless, I’m going to my bed, and I’m gonna stay there until the memory of this day eludes all of us.” 

“You’re truly _no_ fun,” Baekhyun sighs. 

“What did they tell me about sighing?” Junmyeon needles. 

“Not to do it,” Baekhyun answers. 

“So shouldn’t that rule be applied to you too?” 

“No,” Baekhyun answers easily, “I’m normal.” 

Junmyeon rolls his eyes, but by the time he gets back to his room simply to escape the constant yammering of his brethren, he realizes that maybe Baekhyun’s right. He can’t seem to shake the scent, can’t seem to forget about the sleep-deprived TA, but he also can’t seem to imagine a world in which anything could possibly happen between them.  
  


⛧

The next morning, Junmyeon is adjusting the collar of his sweater, fixing the strap of his laptop bag when he inhales that familiar scent. Sehun. _Sehun._

He looks up, laser-focused as he attempts to locate the source. It only takes Junmyeon a moment, and there he is, sitting at one of the field reading tables. He’s got his glasses pushed up onto his head, a big scarf wrapped around his neck as he twirls a pencil in his hand. He looks tired, but still excruciatingly handsome. Junmyeon swallows thickly as he adjusts his laptop on his shoulder, walking over and staring down at Sehun until he looks up. 

“Good morning,” Sehun says sunnily, belying the exhaustion in his eyes, in his scent. “Just the archivist I wanted to see.” 

“W-What are you doing here?” Junmyeon asks. 

“I paged some materials,” Sehun answers. “What are you doing here?” 

“I _work_ here,” Junmyeon says. 

“Technically, I do too!” Sehun says, tilting his head to the side. “That’s something we have in common, right, Junmyeon?” 

Junmyeon makes a quiet noise of distress. “I guess.” He thinks about it for a moment. “Wait, how do you know my name?” 

“I asked Marie,” Sehun smiles. “Is that bad? Should I not have asked?” 

“Y-You’re free to do as you wish.” Junmyeon nods down at the manuscript laid flat across the table. “Good luck with your work.” 

“Thanks,” Sehun says, and he begins to tap away at his laptop before looking over at Junmyeon again, clearing his throat before smiling handsomely. “Could I buy you coffee sometime?” 

“W—Coffee? For what?” 

“Your help with the scanning,” Sehun says.

“I didn’t help you.” 

“You’re not good at this, are you?” Sehun smiles. “I want to buy you coffee. Do you like coffee?” 

“I… I like sweet things,” Junmyeon confesses suddenly. 

“Tonight, maybe?” Sehun asks. 

“N-No,” Junmyeon says, and he shakes his head. “I’m busy.” 

He hurries away, annoyed and frustrated with himself. Surely, _that_ will be enough to drive Sehun away.  
  


⛧

“He asked you _out_ , and you said _no_?” Minseok asks. He swirls the blood in his glass, kicks one leg over the other. “I don’t understand you.”

“He’s a kid,” Junmyeon says. “He’s a human man, and he’s—” 

“And he’s _beautiful_ ,” Baekhyun gasps, and he turns his phone to Jongdae and Minseok, pointing at Sehun’s perfect visage. “Listen, if you don’t hit it, slit it, and quit it, then I will.” 

“I am not hitting, slitting, and quitting anything,” Junmyeon says, folding his legs up on the couch, “so feel free.” Junmyeon leans over, looks at Baekhyun’s phone, sees Sehun at a lectern, looking well-rested for a change. “How did you get this picture?” 

“He’s in the Masters of Philosophy program,” Baekhyun says, and he begins to scroll through some kind of article. “He was the youngest speaker at the Williamson symposium, and he was shortlisted for the Granter Prize for his speech… holy shit, this kid is no joke. _Nor Any More Heaven or Hell: the Eternal Self, the Mortal Soul, and the Intersections of Physical Place and Emotional Home_.”

“That sounds like nothing,” Chanyeol says. 

“You’ve been alive for six hundred years, and still, philosophy and literary analysis means nothing to you?” Yixing asks. 

“Correct. Maybe I’ll catch it next millennia,” Chanyeol says, and he makes grabby hands for the decanter. “Anymore of the good shit left?” 

“O negative,” Baekhyun says, and he swishes the blood in his glass like he’s a sommelier, sticking his nose into the glass to take a sniff. “Notes of roses and black pepper. And maybe… citrus on the edge? A delicate thrust of lemon? A jizz of limoncello?” 

“Ew,” Chanyeol says, but he pours himself a glass anyway. “Point is, the man is beautiful. And he’s a Master’s student. He’s plenty old enough.”

“I’m nearly four hundred,” Junmyeon frowns. 

“Personally, I find human vampire relationships _romantic_ ,” Jongin smiles, and he clutches his wine glass a little tighter to his body. “The draw between natural and supernatural, mortal and immortal…” 

Jongin trails off, lies his head on Baekhyun’s shoulder. Junmyeon closes his eyes, tries to imagine himself in a position like that with someone. With _Sehun_. 

“Ah, I think I’m done for the night,” Junmyeon says just as he starts to feel the blood lust go to his head. 

“No, we just started,” Yixing cries, “come on, stay for another glass.” 

“He’s gonna go jerk it to the TA,” Baekhyun says knowingly. 

“I’m going to go do some _research_ ,” Junmyeon says. 

“Research on how to talk to a boy,” Chanyeol snorts. 

The laughter of the coven follows him back to his room, and he buries his head in his arms once he’s sitting at his desk, wondering if there’s any way he could ever seduce someone as beautiful, as _human_ as Sehun.  
  


⛧

Junmyeon ponders the question well into the morning, during his commute, through to the moment he is about to walk into his office.

Sitting there fast asleep, head lolled back against the door, is Sehun. He’s got an iced coffee between his pretzeled legs, and he is sleeping gently, breaths deep and long. Junmyeon stands there and watches him for a minute, shaking himself from the reverie when he realizes how cliche he is being. 

He nudges Sehun with the toe of his boot, fixing the scarf around his neck, but when it does not rouse him, Junmyeon nudges him with a bit more force. 

Sehun wakes slowly, looking around with bemusement before he lays eyes on Junmyeon’s face. The smile dawns across his face, and Junmyeon frowns down at him. 

“You’re sleeping in front of my office,” Junmyeon says. 

“Sorry, I… I guess I’m kinda tired,” Sehun smiles, and he grabs his coffee from between his legs, takes a large sip. 

“You should sleep more,” Junmyeon advises. “You should stay away from caffeine too.” 

“Probably.” Sehun looks Junmyeon up and down. “You look nice today.” 

Junmyeon pulls at the hem of his sweater. “Thank you. You look tired.” 

“Traditionally, the response is _You look nice too_.” 

“I’m not especially traditional,” Junmyeon frowns. “Could you let me into my office?” 

Sehun makes a noise of surprise before getting to his feet quickly, holding his coffee in two hands. Junmyeon furrows his brow, shoves the feeling of affection deep down inside himself as he unlocks his office. 

He goes in, about to shut the door, but Sehun is staring at him with wide eyes, clutching his iced coffee and pouting. Junmyeon sighs, lets him in. 

Junmyeon sits at his desk, logs onto his desktop, and turns in his chair. Sehun is just standing there, sipping his coffee. 

“What are you doing here?” Junmyeon asks. “Don’t you have, like, a class to get to?” 

“Not until six,” Sehun says. 

“It’s eight-thirty.” 

“I’ve got some time to kill.” 

“And you’re killing it here?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Ideally,” Sehun smiles. 

“Why?” 

“I don’t know,” Sehun says. “Just kind of… like you.” 

Furious heat rises up in Junmyeon’s throat, the kind of raw heat he distantly remembers from when he was first turned. It claws at him, and he reaches up. There is no blood in him, so the warmth _must_ be imaginary, but still… he can feel it like it’s real. 

“Why would you… you don’t even know me,” Junmyeon says, and he turns around in his chair, faces his computer as it boots up. 

“No, but like, sometimes you just get a feeling, right?” Junmyeon bites his lip, feels Sehun’s eyes on the back of his neck. “Like, you just kinda get this gut feeling, right? A draw to someone… someone you just have to get to know better.” 

Junmyeon begins to navigate his programs on his computer, so he has something to do with his hands, something to distract him from the fact that he knows _exactly_ what Sehun means.  
  


⛧

Sehun sits in Junmyeon’s office until he needs to leave for a meeting over lunch, and he asks Junmyeon a hundred questions about Junmyeon’s work, about Junmyeon’s life, about Junmyeon’s friends. Junmyeon answers them as best he can, shocked and confused that someone as beautiful as Sehun is interested in him, especially when he is… well, the way he is.

“I should go,” Sehun says, chucking his coffee cup into Junmyeon’s trash can before he stands up. “Maybe, uh, maybe we could hang out again sometime soon?” 

Junmyeon frowns. “Yes. I would… I would like that.” 

“Wait, really?” Sehun asks. 

“Y-Yes,” Junmyeon says. “If that’s… if you don’t mind.” 

Sehun fumbles for his phone, starts poking at it, and then suddenly, he’s shoving it into Junmyeon’s hands. He stares down at the display, sees _junmyeon, hot archivist_ listed in the contact name field, and he looks back up at Sehun. 

“Sorry, I like to be really specific,” Sehun smiles. 

Junmyeon frowns. _How is this ever going to work out?_

He keys in his phone number before sending Sehun on his way.  
  


⛧

Junmyeon has no idea what to do, so he goes to the coven.

“So… you’ve come to the master,” Baekhyun says, arms spread wide along the back of the couch. 

“Jongdae,” Junmyeon calls. 

“I’m coming,” Jongdae says. 

“Wait, stop, stop,” Baekhyun cries. “I was your first choice!” 

“Jongin was actually my first pick, but he’s busy at the bank,” Junmyeon says. 

“Still,” Baekhyun smiles, especially proud of himself, “first is the worst, second is the best!” 

“Minseok was second,” Junmyeon says. 

“Third?” Baekhyun whispers hopefully. 

“Jongdae’s in the other room, and I didn’t wanna bother him,” Junmyeon shrugs. “I know he’s busy with that ridiculous Lego set.” 

“It’s not Legos,” Jongdae screams. “It’s a highly detailed model of the 1941 IJN Nagato at _1/350th_ of the scale!” 

“Yeah,” Junmyeon says, “he’s busy with that.” 

“Well, it doesn’t matter what number I am,” Baekhyun says, waving his hand. “ _I’m_ the one making time for you. Remember that when it comes to bitedays, okay?” 

“You have more money than God, what could you possibly want me to buy you?” 

Baekhyun shrugs, pouting. “Just want a little surprise from my favorite brother.” 

Junmyeon rolls his eyes. “Do you wanna hear my problem, or no?” 

“Is it a boy problem? A boy problem that potentially revolves around a handsome motherfucker named Sehun?” 

“I can call Yixing,” Junmyeon threatens. 

“What about Chanyeol?” Baekhyun grins. 

“Did someone say my name?” Chanyeol screeches. 

“No,” they say in unison. 

“So, what’s up?” Baekhyun continues. “What’s wrong with the boy?”

“I think I… like him.” 

Baekhyun’s eyes go stupidly wide, and it makes Junmyeon want to run, head for the hills, take up residence on some forgotten island instead of sitting here, being gawked at. 

“Wait, like, seriously?” Baekhyun asks. “I thought you didn’t like the idea.” 

“I am coming around to it,” Junmyeon says, twisting his hands in front of his body. 

“As in? Give me specifics to work with here. Did you bite him in a bathroom stall?” 

“God, _no_ ,” Junmyeon says. “Don’t be crazy.” 

“Then, what?” 

“I gave him my… phone number,” Junmyeon confesses. 

“God, if I didn’t know for a fact that you’ve had sex before, I would think you were a virgin,” Baekhyun smiles. 

“Shut up, this isn’t helpful.” 

“You’re right,” Baekhyun says. “This isn’t a job for one man. We need the coven.”  
  


⛧

An emergency meeting is called, and Junmyeon puts on a hoodie so big he can feel himself being swallowed by it.

“He’s so shy,” Jongin smiles, pulling the hood down away from Junmyeon’s face. “Hello.” 

“Hi.” 

“Okay, first, we should text him back,” Baekhyun says, and he pokes through Junmyeon’s phone, reading the text allowed. “ _Hey, I was thinking coffee tomorrow after you get off work. Sound good?_ ” 

“He’s got a way with words,” Jongin sighs, glass of blood between his hands like a schoolgirl. 

“I think you should go simple,” Jongdae says, and he waves his glass in the air in a rainbow. “ _Sounds good._ ” 

“Where’s the wanton passion?” Baekhyun asks. “Where’s the pizzazz?” 

“Where’s the declaration that you’re gonna suck his dick after you make him completely flaccid?” Chanyeol asks, and everyone stares at him. “You know, because of the blood loss? It’s not because he doesn’t like it! God!” 

“A vote,” Yixing suggests. “All in favor of simplicity over… what was it?” 

“Drama, panache, and intrigue,” Baekhyun fills in. 

“Right, all in favor of simplicity over that?” Yixing asks. Jongdae, Yixing, Jongin, and Minseok all raise their hands. “And all in favor of the opposite?” Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s hands shoot up. “Right, so it looks like we’re going simple.” 

Baekhyun struggles as Yixing reaches over to wrestle the phone away from him, and Junmyeon laughs when Yixing inevitably prevails. 

“There,” Yixing says. “It’s a date.” 

The words make Junmyeon’s stomach twist nervously. 

“What now?” Minseok asks, and he takes a sip of his blood. “I mean, seems like a done deal.” 

“ _Now_ ,” Baekhyun stresses, “we teach him how to be a vampire.” 

“I am a vampire already,” Junmyeon says. 

“Not like that,” Baekhyun says, and he raises his arm up over his mouth like he’s holding a cape. “Like _this_.” 

“You look like you’re about to cough,” Yixing snorts. 

“I’m being seductive, okay?” Baekhyun says. “Everyone shut up.” 

“Okay, step one,” Jongdae says. “Ignore everything Baekhyun says.” 

“No, _step one_ ,” Baekhyun says. “Wear cute clothes.” 

“My clothes are—”

“Meant for work,” Baekhyun says. “You need sex clothes.” 

“Isn’t the point of sex to lose the clothes?” Jongdae asks. 

“Stop making this harder than it’s supposed to be!” Chanyeol says, and he turns to Junmyeon. “He’s right. Wear clothes that are your size.” 

“I can lend you something,” Baekhyun suggests. 

“Make sure you ask about his life,” Jongin says, eyes sparkling. “And be interested in the things he’s interested in!” 

“Show your fangs,” Baekhyun says. “That always gets people hot.” 

“Do not show your fangs,” Minseok says. “Not at least until you tell him.” 

“Tell him as soon as you get in,” Chanyeol suggests. “Up front. Open.” 

“Hide it for as long as vampirely possible, and then spring it on him,” Baekhyun says, eyes wide with blood lust. 

“This is bad advice,” Jongdae says, and he takes Junmyeon’s hand in his. “Just be yourself.” 

“I’m awful,” Junmyeon says, “that’s why we’re doing this.” 

“Then be someone else?” Jongdae tries. 

“Oh, that’s good!” Baekhyun says, bouncing in his seat. “That’s good! That’s good!” 

“Yeah,” Chanyeol says. “Pretend like you are a more handsome, more put-together version of yourself!” 

“Be someone who is suave,” Jongdae says, hand on his chin. “Someone who can sweep a human off their feet.” 

“Be daring,” Baekhyun says. “Be edgy.” 

“Just be cool,” Yixing says. 

“It’s not that easy,” Junmyeon says. 

“Fake it ‘til you make it,” Yixing shrugs. “That’s what everyone does.”  
  


⛧

He intends to walk to Coupa on his own, give himself some time to collect his thoughts and prepare, become the person he wants to be, but Sehun is sitting in front of his office, a cup of iced coffee in his hand.

“W-What are you doing?” Junmyeon asks. “You already have coffee.” 

“Always need more coffee,” Sehun says, and he leaps to his feet. “I was waiting for you.” 

They walk in near silence as they go to the cafe, and Junmyeon frantically tries to get into character. _Smooth, suave, seductive._ He repeats the words in his head until they sink in, and by the time they get to the coffee shop, he feels like he’s ready to embody them. 

“Large regular coffee, black, and a Caramel Macchiato Frap,” Sehun orders, and he turns to Junmyeon, smiling. “Good?” 

“Good,” Junmyeon smiles, and he bumps his hip into Sehun’s, eliciting a noise of surprise. 

Once their order is filled, they sit with their drinks, and Junmyeon leans forward, pulling his scarf down to reveal some of his neck. He smiles at Sehun, watches him suck in a confused breath. 

“So,” Junmyeon says, and he tries to keep smiling even as the nerves surge within him, “how are you?” 

“I’m doing well, how are you?” Sehun asks. 

“I’m doing very well,” Junmyeon says, “now that I’m with you.” 

“W-Wait, what’s going on?” Sehun smiles. 

“What?” 

“You’re acting… funny,” Sehun says, head ticking to the side like he’s trying to make sense of things. “What’s up?”

“Nothing,” Junmyeon says. “Quickly. Nothing’s up.” Sehun stares at him blankly. “What?” 

“I may not know you that well, I may not, like, know all your deepest secrets and everything, I may not know your favorite song or whatever, but come on. I know you,” Sehun says. “Why are you acting funny? Is it because you’re just humoring me?” 

“N-No, I just… I’m not good with people,” Junmyeon says, and he stares at his fingernails, squeezing the mug in his hands. “I was trying to be… be more interesting. Be better at—” 

“At _being_?” Junmyeon looks up, and Sehun’s brows are pulled together, and he looks at Junmyeon with sympathy. “I like you just the way you are. I like the way you hide in your office. I like that you’re quiet. I like that you… that you have a lot of thoughts, and you’re not ready to share them just yet.” He breathes in, shuts his eyes, and _God_ , he is perfect. “You don’t have to try to be someone else. I mean, honestly, I would prefer that you didn’t.” 

He smiles, and he sticks out his hands, lays them open. The option is there, and for a minute, Junmyeon just stares at him, at Sehun’s hand. 

Junmyeon lets go of his coffee cup, puts his hands in Sehun’s. 

“So, we can give this a shot?” Sehun asks. 

Junmyeon thinks for a moment, lets the questions consume him. _What if it goes badly? What if he doesn’t believe me? What if he doesn’t like me after I tell him? What if we break up? What if? What if?_

He closes his eyes, and he thinks of the coven. Always there to support him. Always there to try and help. 

“Yeah,” Junmyeon says. “We can try.”


	2. Chapter 2

They go on several more coffee dates, and Sehun handles most of the conversation. That’s okay with Junmyeon; he has learned to appreciate Sehun’s caffeine-addled rants. 

“I just think Kierkegaard was onto something when he said _The most common form of despair is not being who you are_ ,” Sehun says. 

“He was not talking about trying a frappuccino,” Junmyeon says, and he slides his cup back across the table, wrapping his hands around it. 

“He might as well have been,” Sehun says. “Coffee that is not black is not coffee.” 

“You wouldn’t say that about anything else.” 

“No, I wouldn’t,” Sehun smiles. “Let me be irrational about this one thing.” 

“You’re irrational about lots of things,” Junmyeon says. 

“Such as?” 

“You put things off until the last minute.” 

“ _If a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing late,_ ” Sehun quotes. 

“ _While we are postponing, life speeds by,_ ” Junmyeon quotes back at him. 

“Don’t use Seneca against me,” Sehun smiles. 

“You forced my hand,” Junmyeon shrugs. 

Sehun laughs as he takes a sip of his coffee, and he shakes his head side to side. He smells richly of tobacco and leather, coffee and smoke, but there underneath everything is the scent of macerated cherries, syrupy and sweet. 

“Man, I like you,” Sehun confesses, and Junmyeon’s empty heart thuds inside his chest the way it always does when Sehun says something like that. 

“I like you too,” Junmyeon says softly, still unsure, still hesitant even after a couple weeks. 

So much has been left unsaid. He’s kept himself a secret for so long, carefully wrapped up and hidden, but Sehun is quickly peeling back his layers, revealing more and more. Before long, Junmyeon knows that Sehun will discover who he really is… _what_ he really is. 

“I’m glad we’ve been doing this,” Sehun says. “I’m glad I was persistent. I’m glad we got to do this.” 

“Me too,” Junmyeon says. “E-Even though I still don’t know if this will work out.” 

“What do you mean?” 

Junmyeon shrugs, fear leaping into his throat. “I’m weird.” 

“I told you already,” Sehun says. “I like that you’re weird. I’m weird too.” 

Sehun reaches across the tabletop, and he offers Junmyeon his hands. Junmyeon takes them, holding Sehun’s carefully. They haven’t gone any further than this, simple _hand-holding_ , but Junmyeon thinks that’s probably a good thing. He doesn’t want to go into something deeper without Sehun knowing the truth. 

Even though he hates to admit it to himself, he’s terrified that Sehun won’t understand. Nothing hurts worse than not being understood. 

“You’re so cold,” Sehun laughs, and he rubs Junmyeon’s hands enthusiastically. “Here, let me warm you up.” 

“Good luck,” Junmyeon snorts. 

Sehun bites his lip as he smiles at Junmyeon, and it feels like drinking, a dizzying feeling that seeps through him. He’s never been so… _smitten_. Never been so hopelessly attracted to someone. They just look at each other, staring into each other’s eyes, and it’s saccharine, sentimental, but Junmyeon feels himself warming up like blood rushes through his veins. 

“Do you have to go soon?” Sehun asks. 

Junmyeon taps his phone, checking the time. “Yeah, unfortunately. I have a department meeting.” He frowns. “Sorry.” 

“It’s okay,” Sehun says nervously, and he withdraws his hands, twists them in his lap. “I was just thinking.” 

It is distinctly unusual. He’s never so anxious in front of Junmyeon. They’ve gotten so comfortable in front of each other. Why then does Sehun look like his stomach is twisting up inside his body? 

“What were you thinking?” Junmyeon asks. “Or was I expected to guess?” 

Sehun breaks into a little smile. “No, I was just working up the courage.” 

“Courage for what?” 

“I was gonna ask you out,” Sehun says, the words flying out like he can’t control them, “on a date.”

Junmyeon looks around. He looks down to the coffee between them. 

“I thought this was a date,” Junmyeon says. “I thought we’ve been on many dates.” 

“W-We have! I only meant… I meant that I would like to take you someplace nice. Someplace fancy. L-Like a real date.”

“I consider this a real date,” Junmyeon says, frowning. “You don’t?” 

“I _do_ ,” Sehun fumbles, “I _do_ , I do.” 

“Then…?” 

“I just think it would be nice to go somewhere… you know, a little bit more romantic,” Sehun says. He shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t know.” 

“How long have you been thinking this?” Junmyeon asks. 

Sehun lowers his gaze, hiding a smile. “Oh, don’t call me out on being too enthusiastic. I work so hard on maintaining a cool, collected image.” 

“I have never seen you look _collected_ ,” Junmyeon says, and he nudges Sehun’s foot with his own underneath the table. 

“You wound me,” Sehun says. 

“Comb your hair every once in a while.” 

“I will take that suggestion into consideration,” Sehun grins. “B-But what do you say? Dinner this Friday?” 

Junmyeon bites his lip. “Yeah, okay.” 

“Okay,” Sehun says excitedly. “Yeah, okay!” 

Junmyeon rolls his eyes, and he pushes himself up from the table. He grabs his phone before grabbing his bag, throwing it over his shoulder. His stomach churns as he tries to hide his nerves from Sehun. Maybe this is the next step. Maybe he should be preparing to tell Sehun, confessing for the second time. 

“Text me, okay?” Sehun asks. “And I’ll see you tomorrow?” 

“Yeah,” Junmyeon says. “Tomorrow.” 

All he can think about for the rest of the day is Sehun’s face, split apart in shock and fear. He can’t focus on work, can only think of the way that progressing in this relationship will lead to his own upset.  
  


⛧

He returns to the coven that evening with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

“What’s up your butt?” Chanyeol asks, periodically sipping from a blood bag as he chops a green bell pepper. 

“Nothing is up my butt,” Junmyeon says, starchy. 

“Ooh, someone’s pissy,” Baekhyun calls. “What, did your boss say you didn’t archive good enough?” 

“Shut up,” Junmyeon says. He gestures to Chanyeol. “Could I get a sip?” 

“It’s A negative,” Chanyeol says, but he holds the bag out for Junmyeon anyway. 

“I don’t care,” Junmyeon tells him, and he grabs the bag. “I just need something.” 

He sips deeply from the bag, his throat rolling as he swallows. It settles warmly in his stomach, and before he knows it, he’s drunk half of what Chanyeol gave to him. 

“Ooh, someone’s testy,” Baekhyun says, and he sits at the island, elbows on the marble, chin in his hands. “What’s up?” 

“I’m going on a real date,” Junmyeon says. 

“Oh shit,” Baekhyun says, light jumping into his eyes as though something wonderful has just presented itself to him. “Isn’t this a good thing? Why do you look like someone just drained you of your lifeblood?” 

Junmyeon sighs, and he steals one of the bell peppers, chewing it nervously. 

“I don’t know,” Junmyeon says. “I just… I just really like him.” 

“So this is good,” Chanyeol says. “You guys haven’t even kissed yet, and I have to assume that that’s because you won’t let him near you.” 

Junmyeon chews in silence. 

“Why won’t you let him kiss you?” Baekhyun asks. 

“Well, first,” Junmyeon says, “it’s not like he’s tried.” 

“Maybe he’s taking it slow on account of you being a big fat virgin,” Jongdae says, and he walks through the kitchen, meandering towards the refrigerator. 

“When did you get here?” Junmyeon asks. 

“I’ve been here all day,” Jongdae says, and he cracks the fridge open, grabs a blood bag of his own. “I came out because I heard discourse.” 

“There’s no discourse,” Junmyeon says. “We’re not even having a conversation.” 

“The conversation,” Chanyeol interrupts, “is the problem with Junmyeon’s fledgling relationship.” 

“There’s no problem!” 

“There’s a problem,” Baekhyun says, narrowing his eyes. “I know you think he’s hot because one, you have eyes, and two, you never would have even let it get this far if you weren’t deeply attracted to him, repressed or no.” 

Junmyeon twists his hands nervously. “I like him a lot.” 

“So you’re upset about a real date _because_?” 

“Oh, a real date?” Jongdae says excitedly, the same light in his eyes that Baekhyun had. He turns it on Junmyeon. “Why aren’t you psyched out of your mind?” 

“B-Because—” 

“Because you’re scared he’s not gonna think your ass is tight enough?” Chanyeol tries. 

“Because he’s got body odor?” Baekhyun suggests. 

“Because he’s gonna take you to an Italian restaurant and you’ll be forced to make a garlic joke that he won’t understand?” Jongdae offers. 

“ _Because_ what if he finds out that I’m a vampire and he decides I’m not worth the _effort?_ ” Junmyeon bursts, and the rest of them stare at him in shock. He looks down to the blood bag in his hand, now empty. “O-Oh, I think…” 

“Yeah, I think it’s gone to your head,” Chanyeol says softly. 

“Time for bed,” Baekhyun says, and he pats Junmyeon on the back. 

“But we don’t sleep,” Junmyeon says, rubbing his eyes. 

“Yeah, yeah, we know,” Jongdae says, and together, the three of them guide him off towards his bedroom.  
  


⛧

The week all but flies by, and even though he’s terribly excited by the prospect of a romantic evening, of Sehun in warm candlelight and perhaps a goodnight kiss, he still cannot shake the feeling of dread that tangles itself with the impatience.

Curiously, the coven is nowhere to be found on Friday evening, so over a small pour of B positive, Junmyeon readies himself. He wears a new oxblood sweater with a pair of dark grey slacks, and he brushes his hair back from his face. He gets the text from Sehun that he’s arrived, and he walks down with jittery hands. 

Sehun is leaning against the passenger side door, scrolling through his phone, and Junmyeon has to clear his throat in order to get him to look up. His mouth falls open when he sees Junmyeon, and for a moment, he is frozen in place. 

“W-Wow,” Sehun says, “you look… you look amazing.” 

Junmyeon bites his lip. “Thank you.” 

Sehun bursts into fitful movement, hurrying to open the door for Junmyeon and gingerly shutting it behind him. Junmyeon holds his hands in his lap nervously as Sehun jogs around the car, throwing himself into the driver’s seat. 

“Can I be totally honest?” Sehun asks, and he pulls out of the drive. Junmyeon watches his hands, his veins thick. He can practically hear the blood thrumming inside Sehun.

“Yeah,” Junmyeon says breathlessly, a bit overwhelmed at how _concentrated_ Sehun’s scent is inside an enclosed vehicle. 

“I’m so nervous right now,” Sehun smiles. “I can’t believe you said yes.” 

“W—I like you,” Junmyeon says. 

“Yeah, but I don’t know why.” 

“You’re funny.” 

“I wasn’t asking for compliments,” Sehun says. “I just… you’re amazing. And I don’t wanna screw it up, you know?” 

_That makes two of us_ , Junmyeon thinks, and for the rest of the drive, he tries to hold it together.  
  


⛧

As it turns out, Sehun _did_ choose an Italian restaurant, and even though the atmosphere is warm, rich, decadent, all he can think about is _Jongdae_ , and he spits out a laugh.

“Oh, is it—do you hate it?” Sehun asks. 

“No, no,” Junmyeon says, and he laces his fingers with Sehun’s. “I like it.” 

“You like pasta, so I just thought… you know,” Sehun says, gesturing. “This is a place for pasta.” 

“You’re so eloquent.” 

Sehun shoves his shoulder into Junmyeon playfully as they wait for the hostess to bring them back. 

Sitting across from Sehun, Junmyeon immediately feels like something is wrong. He feels eyes on him, hot on the back of his neck, and he turns around, seeing nothing. He attempts to shrug the feeling away, but it persists. He looks to his left, sees a nice looking couple holding hands over the white linen, and he looks to his right, sees— 

“Oh my god,” Junmyeon whispers. 

They are peeking over the menus, all _seven_ of them, Chanyeol, Jongdae, Baekhyun, Yixing, Minseok, Kyungsoo and Jongin. They wave excitedly, and when Sehun looks up from his menu, they hide once more. 

“What’s up?” Sehun asks. 

“N-Nothing,” Junmyeon smiles. “All good.” 

Sehun’s brows knit in confusion, but he goes back to studying the menu, and Junmyeon starts furiously signing _I will decapitate each and every one of you_ under the table so that the coven can see. 

“I’m gonna run to the bathroom really fast,” Sehun says, and he pushes up from his chair. “If the waiter comes by taking drink orders, get wine, okay? Whatever you want.” 

He puts his hand on the table, and he leans down towards Junmyeon. He sucks in a confused breath as Sehun swoops in, pressing a soft, sweet kiss to Junmyeon’s cheek. 

“Back in a minute,” Sehun smiles. 

Junmyeon watches as he leaves, and then, he turns towards his right. 

“What in the _fuck_ do you think you’re doing?” he whisper-seethes. 

All at once, seven menus are lowered, and he sees the smiling faces of his coven before him. 

“We came by to watch,” Jongin says excitedly, and he holds his hands in front of his chest happily. “Oh my _God_ , that kiss… so romantic!” 

“Seven out of ten,” Kyungsoo shrugs.

“You need to get out of here before he comes back,” Junmyeon warns. 

“What’s he doing?” Baekhyun asks. 

“Urinating, most likely,” Yixing says. 

“God, I miss urinating,” Baekhyun says wistfully. 

“Can you not say it like that?” Chanyeol asks, wincing. 

“Don’t you have a feti—”

“Not at _dinner_ ,” Chanyeol says, and he sinks down in his seat. 

“What is _happening?_ ” Junmyeon groans. “Why are you all _here_?” 

“We came for moral support,” Minseok says happily, and he turns towards Jongdae, Baekhyun, and Chanyeol, a look of horror dawning on his face. “They said you… they said you _wanted_ us to come.” 

“And are you now realizing how insane that sounds?” Junmyeon asks. 

“Yes,” Minseok nods. “I am.” 

“Come on,” Junmyeon says, “up, up.” 

“Too late,” Jongdae says. 

“Wh—” 

“Hi,” Sehun says, and he holds Junmyeon carefully by the shoulders as he smiles at the seven idiots Junmyeon unfortunately shares a name with. “I’m Sehun. Are you friends of Junmyeon’s?” 

“Oh, honey,” Yixing says, shaking his head. “You have no idea.” 

“They’re, uh, coworkers,” Junmyeon lies. 

“We’re not,” Baekhyun corrects. “We’re friends.” 

“You don’t work at Stanford?” Sehun asks. 

“No,” Baekhyun says. “I don’t work at all.” 

“I have a YouTube channel,” Jongdae volunteers. “I review coleslaw from barbecue joints.” 

“You like coleslaw that much?” Sehun asks. 

“No, but that’s not the point,” Jongdae says. “The point is that I started something, and once you start something, you owe it to yourself to finish.” 

“I cook,” Chanyeol says. 

“O-Oh, professionally?” Sehun asks, tilting his head to the side in confusion. 

“No, just in my free time,” Chanyeol says. 

“I’m a dancer,” Jongin says with a smile. “We’re doing _The Nutcracker_ , unfortunately, but in the spring, we’re doing a rock project at the Balboa. You should come.” 

“You dance for the _California ballet_?” Sehun asks. 

Junmyeon makes an increasingly loud noise of distress. 

“Anyway, we were just finishing up here,” Minseok says, and he taps everyone on the shoulders until they stand. “We’ll get out of your hair.” 

“Thank you,” Junmyeon says gratefully. 

“Yeah, we were just wrapping up dinner anyhow,” Jongdae says with a stretch. “How serendipitous that we ran into you two.” 

“Yeah, serendipity,” Junmyeon says blankly. 

“Fate is so funny sometimes,” Baekhyun says, and he brushes off Junmyeon shoulder before he stretches his hand out for Sehun to shake. “Take care of our boy, all right?” 

“Will do,” Sehun says, and Junmyeon is elated to find that he doesn’t sound even the least bit uncomfortable. 

They go back to their own table, and Junmyeon sighs out in relief. 

“That was interesting,” Sehun comments, and Junmyeon kicks him under the table, making him laugh. 

Sehun is looking down at the menu, distracted, so Junmyeon turns around to make sure the coven has gone. He finds them standing near the hostess stand, and they smile at him, giving him exaggerated thumbs up. 

Junmyeon rolls his eyes, waving them away, and he bites his smile as he turns back to Sehun. 

“They seem like a lot of fun,” Sehun says. 

“You think?” 

“Yeah,” Sehun says, and he looks into Junmyeon’s eyes. “You seem like… well, never mind.”

“What?” 

“You just seem a bit more relaxed now that you’ve seen them,” Sehun says. “They must be really good friends. I’m… I’m glad you have them.” 

Junmyeon doesn’t have a beating heart, but he feels a fluttering in his chest, an airy feeling like he might lift off the ground. 

“Me too,” Junmyeon says, thinking that someday, maybe someday soon, he could introduce Sehun to the coven properly, out in the open, the fire of truth burning along his skin.  
  


⛧

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wahhhh, i enjoy this universe ;~; i hope you liked this little addition to it! thank you again

**Author's Note:**

> disclaimer: i do not go to school at stanford, have never been to stanford, and have no experience with archival work so while i've tried to make this as realistic as possible, i've taken a few liberties. forgive me. also vampires arent real so whatever, we do whatever we want 
> 
> ahh, i hope you enjoyed!!!! thanks again!!!!
> 
> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/okamiwind) | [my curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/okamiwind)


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